WHEN I WROTE ON UNIVERSAL CREDIT (UC) in the November 2017 issue of Labour Briefing with Julie Kemmy, the early effects of this radical change to benefits were only just beginning to be felt by claimants and disabled people. Twenty months on the picture is becoming clearer. What has been revealed is that UC is…
FORTY YEARS AFTER THATCHER told us that the market and privatisation would make the consumer king and queen, her big lie is exposed for all to see. Instead of being a nation of home owners we are more and more at the mercy of an overpriced and inadequately regulated private rented sector. We see the…
When the chair of the UN disability committee described what has happened to disabled people in the UK as a “human catastrophe” the world was shocked. Unfortunately our Government, who are responsible for creating this situation, characteristically denied everything and went on the attack saying they are world leaders in disability. So what has led…
Mark Harrison and Julie Kemmy, both of whom work for Equal Lives, a user-led disabled people’s organisation (DPO) supporting people who face disabling barriers in Norfolk and Suffolk, explain the crisis facing Universal Credit Universal Credit (UC) is potentially May’s Poll Tax. It could be her Thatcher moment. This pernicious assault on the rights…
[pdf-embedder url=”http://socialaction.info/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Ind-Liv-art-final.pdf” title=”Ind Liv art final”] A RIGHT TO INDEPENDENT LIVING and a universal national independent living service paid for from direct taxation and free at the point of delivery, alongside the NHS, is the only way to solve the social care catastrophe that faces people of all ages in England and Wales. The…
Jeremy Corbyn has swept to victory in the Labour leadership election by a huge movement for social change. Since his election victory over 65,000 people have joined the Labour Party. It is essential this hunger for change is allowed to express itself and is organised to deliver an election victory in 2020 which can truly…
Social care – disaster waiting to happen The spectre of Baby P hangs over Children’s Services. Here in Norfolk the spotlight has been on this service exempting them from taking their share of the latest round of Coalition Government imposed austerity cuts. This has meant that adult social care has been cut disproportionately. This is…
Anger as a disabled assessment centre has no wheelchair access
Accessible Britain Challenge a Sick Joke He did this 4 months after his Department had committed to closing the inaccessible disability assessment centre in Norwich and re-locating to suitable premises. That centre is still open, still inaccessible and is still turning away disabled people 8 months after the decision to close it was made. The…
The scandal continues same old flawed assessment process in the same inaccessible building The disgraceful and embarrassing situation regarding St Mary’s House, Norwich continues with a new company taking over disability assessments. On 1st March Maximus, a foreign owned outsourcing company take over the contract for carrying out the notorious Work Capability Assessment (WCA). They…
